BackAAP to contest Punjab assembly polls
A team is surveying constituencies in the state to assess the party's organizational strength in Punjab
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New Delhi: Inspired by its spectacular win in the Delhi elections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is now shifting focus to Punjab, which is due to go to the polls in 2017.
“We will contest elections in Punjab. Our aim is to win with maximum majority in the state. We have four members of parliament (MPs) from the state and that will definitely give a push to building our strength in the state," a member of the AAP familiar with the developments said on condition of anonymity.
The decision comes in the backdrop of a bitter confrontation between rival factions in the party. Part of the reason is on the future course of action, with one faction favouring expansion to other parts of India, while the other, led by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, preferring to stay focused on Delhi.
Therefore, the decision to contest in Punjab is a tacit acceptance of the rival point of view and may open the door to a possible compromise between the two camps.
The AAP fancies its chances in Punjab on account of its existing track record as well as the fact that, like Delhi, the state so far has seen a two-cornered contest—the Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alliance against the Congress.
In Delhi, the AAP positioned itself as a third force and successfully displaced the Congress as the principal challenger to the BJP.
Punjab has 117 assembly constituencies and 13 seats in the Lok Sabha. In the 16th general election, the AAP won four seats in the Lok Sabha—all of them were from Punjab—of the 400 it contested nationwide.
“At present, we wish to look at the organizational structure that exists in the state. We know we will have to grow our presence in the state. It also takes time to search for the right people to contest elections," said the leader cited earlier.
A team from the party is currently surveying constituencies in the state to assess the party’s organizational strength in the state.
State leaders say contesting the Punjab elections is a logical step. “I think we have our foothold in Punjab. In the Lok Sabha elections, we managed to win four out of the 13 seats that we contested. There were two seats where we lost by less than 20,000 votes. Even in the other seats that we contested, our vote share was around 25%. This is enough to convince us that we have a reasonable amount of support in the state," said an AAP leader from Punjab, who also did not want to be named. “We definitely need to build our base in Punjab. The time we have left is barely adequate to do so."
The Punjab elections could be the first that the party contests after its win in Delhi. The AAP managed to secure 67 of the 70 seats in the Delhi assembly.
While Bihar is due to go to polls later this year, West Bengal will do so in 2016. Although the AAP has not ruled out contesting elections in these states, it does not have an organizational base in these states yet.
After the general election, the AAP was criticized by supporters and volunteers when it opted out of the Haryana and Maharashtra state elections.
“They have got four seats. They were No. 3 in terms of vote share. No doubt that the AAP has a presence in Punjab. But given the rift in the party, they may suffer. Yogendra Yadav had a huge following in Punjab. He has spent time here and understands the politics of the state," said Ghanshyam Dev, a Punjab-based political analyst and head of the department of political science at DAV College, Chandigarh. “There is a significant time till elections. A lot can change. People have a lot of expectations from the AAP and the way the Delhi government functions will also have an impact."
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